OF Daniel Swinney, 2018-

[LDK]

Daniel Swinney (the nephew of a former MLB backup 2B with the same name) is an athletic young outfielder, who, after an up-and-down start to his career, appears to have a bright future. Let's look at what he's done so far, and how he's arrived at the position in which he now finds himself: One of the most promising young outfielders in the game of baseball.

PRE-MLB CAREER:

Drafted in 2nd round, 37th overall pick, by Colorado in 2018.

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Year AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB/CS AVG OBP SLG
2018, A 400 106 15 2 12 44 55 16 63 26/4 .265 .288 .403
2019, A 504 150 17 5 12 51 72 39 78 47/10 .298 .341 .423
2020, AA 477 148 16 6 22 79 91 42 76 35/11 .310 .363 .507
2021, AAA 470 141 16 3 1 64 79 36 67 42/13 .300 .346 .468
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On September 1st of 2021, Swinney was called up to Colorado in what he hoped would be the beginning of a long and productive career with the Rockies. Playing sparingly, the outfielder recorded an average of .138 with 3 RBI and a stolen base over the course of 29 at-bats. The numbers were not impressive, but it was a small sample size, and scouts loved the tools that Swinney showed.

It was a surprise to many when Swinney started 2022 in AAA. It was an absolute shock to Daniel, his family, and the Rockies faithful when they released their highly-esteemed prospect 6 games into the season. Some attribute it to the sometimes wild young man's rumored romantic involvement with the owner's daughter.

Swinney was crushed, and fell into a deep depression but continued his training in hopes of playing again. On September 8th, 2022, he was signed to a major league contract by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, for whom he posted a .235 average with 4 homers and 3 steals. He still was only playing part-time, and received 51 at-bats.

He started 2023 as a full-time player in Tampa, but got off to a mediocre start. He was released on May 12th. Less than a day later, he was signed by an Anaheim club hovering in the .500 range.

Finally, something clicked with Swinney. He played hot the rest of the year (including hitting for the cycle on September 8th versus the Royals), ending up with a .294 average, .355 on base percentage, .488 slugging percentage, 17 homers, and 44 stolen bases. He energized the Angels, who went on to win 98 games and the AL West.

Suffering through a few minor injuries, he played less often, and less effectively, during the playoffs, but chipped in where he could. He finally came through in a big way in game 5 of the World Series, where he hit the eventual game-winning home run and clinched the world title for Anaheim. A few days after he was fitted for his World Series ring, he was handed another piece of jewelry: the Rookie of the Year trophy. The once cloudy future of Daniel Swinney is now bright and clear.

[LDK]

In 2024, Daniel Swinney took two steps back, and one step forward. The enigmatic outfielder's career path became still more twisted, in a year that started with the defending World Champion Anaheim Angels and ended with the last-place Boston Red Sox.

Swinney was miffed that, after winning Rookie of the Year and delivering a World Series-winning home run, he starte the season on the bench. As has been the pattern in his career, reduced playing time led to reduced production. He only batted .216 with one homer and 4 stolen bases in 51 at-bats for the Angels before he was sent down to AAA in early June.

On July 30th, Swinney was traded to Boston, where he immediately returned to the major leagues. He initially struggled to shake out of his funk (.237, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 6 SB in August), but he posted an excellent September, batting .337 with 6 homers, 10 stolen bases, and 13 RBI in 104 at-bats. He won his first Player of the Week honors during that month.

COMBINED SEASON STATS:
Games: 82
At-bats: 254
AVG: .272
HR: 8
SB: 20 of 29
OBP: .299
SLG: .453
OPS: .752

[LDK]

Daniel Swinney, whose status has bounced from top prospect, to overhyped bust, to young star, has seemingly settled in as an unspectacular but solid contributor. In some ways, his 2025 season could be seen as further decline (his percentages were pretty bad: .231 AVG, .290 OBP, .363 SLG), but there were also some impressive facets to Swinney's first year.

For one, it was the first time in Swinney's career wherein he did not spend even a minute below the Major League level. It was also the first season since he reached the Major Leagues that he was not released or traded. He showed a good combination of power and speed (18 homers, 54 steals), and managed to score 77 runs and drive in 67 while batting leadoff for a bad team.

SEASON STATS:
Games: 157
At-bats: 609
AVG: .231
HR: 18
SB: 54 of 65
OBP: .290
SLG: .363
OPS: .652